How To Diagnose Sleep Apnea
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleeping disorder that is difficult to detect. Simply observing a patient is not enough to determine whether one is afflicted with this disorder. Although there are symptoms like fatigue even after a full night’s rest and difficulty to breathe when sleeping, they are not conclusive in determining whether one has OSA or not. But, although these symptoms are not conclusive, these are enough for you to consider consulting with a specialist and undergo diagnosis.
How is Obstructive Sleep Apnea diagnosed?
To conclusively identify the sleeping disorder that a person is suffering he or she must undergo a process or a sleep study called the Polysomnogram. This sleep study monitors your brain waves, heart rate and breathing as you sleep.
When you visit the hospital or clinic, you will be required to sleep the night for the polysomnogram. Your brain waves will be charted to monitor your REM activities, your breathing will also be charted to determine how many times you stop breathing during your sleep. Your oxygen levels will be charted as well and also, your leg movements will also be monitored to determine the major movements of your body when you sleep.
Actually, there are about 14 charts to be determined or monitored during your sleep. All these charts will determine conclusively what sleeping disorder you might be afflicted with.
If you are actually suffering from OSA, then you might be suffering from one of the two types of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. It could be Sleep Apnea, where your breathing ceases for 10 seconds, followed by an arousal (shifts in brain waves, which causes the fatigue) and then a 3% desaturation of oxygen in the blood. It could also be hypopnea where your your breathing is decreased by 50% for 10 seconds followed by an arousal, and then a 3% desaturation of oxygen in the blood.
Both these Sleep Apnea disorders are dangerous to your health especially to your heart. In order to prevent any serious implications, your doctor will provide you with a mandible contraption that will allow you to breathe normally at night. It is advisable to heed your doctor’s advise after the results are gathered.